2019-2020 Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM)

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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PapaGuava

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Secondary prompts:
Describe a situation where you chose to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate?

All applicants are required to answer one of the following three questions in the form of a short essay, 250 words maximum. Make sure to include the question itself at the top of your essay; this will not count toward the 250 words. Please name the file using the following format: "last name, first name, selected essay".

1. Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics. What core values did you receive and how will these translate into the contributions you hope to make to your community as a medical student and later as a physician?

2. There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacle or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

3. Part of OU-HCOM's mission is to embrace diversity and public service and improve the health and wellbeing of underserved populations. Describe what that means to you and how you would contribute to that mission as a student and as a future physician.
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Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback:
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
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anyone know when they start sending secondaries and II?
 
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PSA, there's a new MSAR-akin tool for DO schools now that's free to use. Figured I should share! Good luck everyone this cycle!

Become an Osteopathic Medical Doctor

Want to know more about why you should consider a career in osteopathic medicine? Start here.
choosedo.org choosedo.org
 
kaze said:
Anybody know if OU tends to favor gpa? Their average is pretty high, especially compared to mine. My MCAT is significantly higher but I've heard some schools have a preference for one or the other and am wondering if this is one of them
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not sure if this is any help or representative to their class stats as a whole, but the people I know who have gotten in there have typically been right around their averages. not entirely sure if they do a "balancing" of a low GPA with a high MCAT.
 
Does anyone know if they have a minimum MCAT for secondaries?
 
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Just received secondary but the link is broken. Did anyone get in?
 
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does anyone have this years secondary prompts?
 
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The link should be working now, I just got the secondary essays! They are the same as last year
 
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Submitted my primary here on 6/3 , and I still haven't gotten a secondary yet. Anyone know what's going on?
 
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same, haven't gotten a secondary
 
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Can someone please share the secondaries?
 
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Describe a situation where you chose to advocate for someone who is different from yourself. What does advocacy mean to you and how has your advocacy developed? How do you see it linked to your role as a physician/leader? What risks, if any, might be associated with your choice to be an advocate?

All applicants are required to answer one of the following three questions in the form of a short essay, 250 words maximum. Make sure to include the question itself at the top of your essay; this will not count toward the 250 words. Please name the file using the following format: "last name, first name, selected essay".

1. Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development with respect to its demographics. What core values did you receive and how will these translate into the contributions you hope to make to your community as a medical student and later as a physician?

2. There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacle or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

3. Part of OU-HCOM's mission is to embrace diversity and public service and improve the health and wellbeing of underserved populations. Describe what that means to you and how you would contribute to that mission as a student and as a future physician.

@PapaGuava
 
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Secondary also received. However, read the out of state contract. If you're an OOS and do NOT want to do your residency/serve ohio for 5 years. Do not waste your money applying.
 
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For clarification, if you sign the OOS contract, you're saying you will serve Ohio for 5 years once you are done with medical school?
 
fashionenthusiast said:
For clarification, if you sign the OOS contract, you're saying you will serve Ohio for 5 years once you are done with medical school?
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You're saying you will serve Ohio for 5 years once you are done with residency. However, if your residency is within Ohio at one of their specifically chosen sites your residency can count towards those service years.
 
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Wondering if it's worth it to return this secondary.
Does this OOS contract get me anything?
I know life is not always give and take but I'm giving them 5 years of state residency in exchange for...?
 
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Here is the OOS contract to save a few clicks,


The Ohio General Assembly requires the Heritage College to emphasize the training of family physicians for underserved areas within the state of Ohio. Therefore, non-residents are required to sign a service contract. The contract requires students to practice medicine for five years in Ohio upon completion of their formal training.

The signee agrees that their residency status will be determined according to the residency rules which are applicable at the time the individual signs the contract with Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Furthermore, the signee understands that any changes in their residency status to that of an Ohio resident will not affect the binding nature of the contract.

Individuals who complete their entire postgraduate medical education at an AOA-approved CORE residency program in an Ohio hospital may apply for credit toward the five-year requirement period. For more information refer to the Granting Credit for Ohio Osteopathic Hospital Residency Programs Participation toward the Five Year Practice of Medicine Obligation in the Out-of-State Guidelines.


OUT-OF-STATE GUIDELINES

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Guidelines for Granting Credit for Ohio Hospital Residency Programs Participation toward the Five (5) Year Practice of Medicine Obligation in the OU-HCOM Out-of-State Admission Contract

These guidelines are created in order to help accomplish the legislative purpose in establishing the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Section 3337.14 ORC and its purpose of providing primary care physicians to underserved areas in the state of Ohio.​

Further, in recognition of this goal and to assist the osteopathic profession’s similar goal of providing primary care to Ohio citizens, credit will be provided for completed postgraduate medical education toward the five (5) year contractual obligation according to the following guidelines:

  1. Primary Care: If an OU-HCOM graduate who has signed an Out-of-State Admission Contract in order to be admitted to the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine completes a residency program in a primary care generalist discipline (family medicine, general internal medicine and pediatrics) in an accredited postgraduate program in the State of Ohio, (s)he will be eligible to apply for a waiver to receive credit for one and one half (1½) years for each year completed in the residency program, (provided that the entire residency program is completed in an accredited postgraduate program in the State of Ohio) towards their obligation to practice medicine full-time for five (5) years in the State of Ohio. Graduates completing an accredited postgraduate internship in the State of Ohio prior to their primary care residency will be eligible to apply for one and one half (1½) years’ credit for the completion of the internship. Upon approval of their waiver application, graduates completing both an accredited internship in the State of Ohio and an accredited residency in the State of Ohio (whether two or three years in duration) will be deemed to have fulfilled their five (5) year obligation to practice medicine in Ohio. Graduates completing an accredited three-year residency in the State of Ohio will likewise be granted full credit for their five-year obligation to practice medicine in Ohio. Graduates completing an accredited two-year residency in the State of Ohio will be granted three (3) years’ partial credit toward their five (5) year obligation to practice medicine in Ohio and will be allowed to “buy-out” the remaining years of the five (5) year obligation, according to the provisions of the Out-of-State Admissions Contract signed upon admission to the college, There will be no credit granted for completion of only internship, and there will be no proration for partial completion of any postgraduate program. (The only exception considered would be the closure of an in-state program with no positions available with an accredited program in the State of Ohio.)
  2. Specialty: If an OU-HCOM graduate who has signed an Out-of-State Admission Contract in order to be admitted to the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine completes a residency program in a specialty field other than primary care in an accredited postgraduate program in the State of Ohio, they will be eligible to apply for a waiver to receive credit for one (1) year for each year completed in the residency program in a specialty field (based on the entire residency program being completed in an accredited postgraduate program in the State of Ohio) towards their obligation to practice medicine full-time for five (5) years in the State of Ohio. Graduates completing an accredited postgraduate internship in the State of Ohio prior to their specialty residency will be eligible to apply for one (1) year credit for the completion of the internship. Upon approval of their waiver application, graduates competing an accredited postgraduate internship and residency that are both in the State of Ohio and at least five (5) years total in duration and graduates completing an accredited residency in the State of Ohio that is at least five (5) years in duration will be deemed to have fulfilled their five (5) year obligation to practice medicine on Ohio. If the entire completed postgraduate internship and specialty residency is less than five (5) years in duration, the graduate approved for a year waiver will be allowed to “buy out” the remaining year(s) of the (5) year obligation, according to the provisions of the Out-of-State Admissions Contract signed upon admission to the college. There will be no credit granted for completion of only an internship, and there will be no proration for partial completion of any postgraduate program. (The only exception considered would be the closure of an in-state program with no positions available with an accredited program in the State of Ohio.)
Applicants who have completed the requirements of either (1) or (2) above should submit the attached application for waiver to the Office of Student Affairs, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, 018 Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.

These Guidelines will be in effect for all OU-HCOM graduates in training in accredited programs in the State of Ohio or enrolled at OU-HCOM as of July 1, 2015.

For more information, please contact Marie Barone
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paradoxic_toxic said:
Here is the OOS contract to save a few clicks,
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If anyone has any questions about ouhcom and specifically the OOS contract please let me know. I am an incoming OMS I (URM female) and an out of state student. I signed the out of state student contract and I received the OOS scholars scholarship that waived the contract so I no longer have to stay in Ohio for 5 years. I didn’t apply to it they just give it to some OOS students. I’m not sure what the criteria Is to receive the scholarship but if you want to go to ouhcom and you are out of state DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! Ouhcom is an amazing school don’t miss out on this opportunity
 
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MarriedToMedicine1908 said:
If anyone has any questions about ouhcom and specifically the OOS contract please let me know. I am an incoming OMS I (URM female) and an out of state student. I signed the out of state student contract and I received the OOS scholars scholarship that waived the contract so I no longer have to stay in Ohio for 5 years. I didn’t apply to it they just give it to some OOS students. I’m not sure what the criteria Is to receive the scholarship but if you want to go to ouhcom and you are out of state DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! Ouhcom is an amazing school don’t miss out on this opportunity
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Thanks for taking questions! Which campus do you attend? Also, was it your first preference in your application? Did they bring up your essay on campus selection in the interview?
 
merk33 said:
Thanks for taking questions! Which campus do you attend? Also, was it your first preference in your application? Did they bring up your essay on campus selection in the interview?
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No problem! I will be at the Cleveland Campus and yes it was my first preference. No they did not bring up my essay during my interview. The interview was so chill they make you feel extremely comfortable. It’s literally like you are talking to a friend. Which was not my experience at some other med schools I interviewed at.
 
MarriedToMedicine1908 said:
No problem! I will be at the Cleveland Campus and yes it was my first preference. No they did not bring up my essay during my interview. The interview was so chill they make you feel extremely comfortable. It’s literally like you are talking to a friend. Which was not my experience at some other med schools I interviewed at.
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Wow very cool. Why did you prefer the Cleveland campus? That was my first preference due to the urban location and getting to work with diverse and underserved regions of Cleveland much like I have done in my current large urban community.
 
merk33 said:
Wow very cool. Why did you prefer the Cleveland campus? That was my first preference due to the urban location and getting to work with diverse and underserved regions of Cleveland much like I have done in my current large urban community.
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That is exactly why I chose the Cleveland campus as well ! Also I am OOS and Cleveland is closer to my home than any of the other campuses.
 
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MarriedToMedicine1908 said:
That is exactly why I chose the Cleveland campus as well ! Also I am OOS and Cleveland is closer to my home than any of the other campuses.
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I know the proportion of OOS students is abysmal, but I also know that the OOS contract deters most non-residents from applying in the first place. Do you happen to have any statistics on how many OOS students apply to the school?

Furthermore, I've also heard that most OOS matriculants get siphoned towards the Athens campus. Did you find this to also be the case with your year? With their partnership with Cleveland Clinic I assume that most IS residents would be applying to and have priority at that campus.
 
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enchantments said:
I know the proportion of OOS students is abysmal, but I also know that the OOS contract deters most non-residents from applying in the first place. Do you happen to have any statistics on how many OOS students apply to the school?

Furthermore, I've also heard that most OOS matriculants get siphoned towards the Athens campus. Did you find this to also be the case with your year? With their partnership with Cleveland Clinic I assume that most IS residents would be applying to and have priority at that campus.
Click to expand...

I don’t have the specific numbers on how many OOS students are accepted. However, I do know that 80-90% of the incoming class is in state. I honestly didn’t let the OOS contract deter me from applying because there is an OOS scholarship that you can get that makes the contract null and void which I received.

With regards to the OOS students mostly going to Athens, I believe that might hold some truth. However, in my essay explaining why I wanted to attend the Cleveland campus I spoke from the heart explaining that I am extremely family oriented and the Cleveland campus is closer to my home than the others and it is very important that I am close to my support system during this time in med school. I also listed specific aspects about Cleveland that made me more comfortable and helped them see why I was more suited for the Cleveland campus than the other two.

I say all of this to say, if you want to apply to OUHCOM because you feel it reflects some of your values and you see attending here benefiting you as a physician then apply!! Don’t worry about an OOS contract or anything else because if it’s meant for you to be here then you will be (and at the campus you desire :) )
 
Can anyone give me insight on II chances? Received secondary 7/10 without MCAT scores in, sGPA 3.82 and cGPS 3.86. Submitted today. I’m OOS and applying to the combined DO/PhD program (1300+ research hours), but also okay with just DO if combined doesn’t work out. Received MCAT scores today: 497 (123, 127, 122, 125), which is definitely lower than expected. Retaking MCAT 9/6 date.
 
junouno97 said:
Can anyone give me insight on II chances? Received secondary 7/10 without MCAT scores in, sGPA 3.82 and cGPS 3.86. Submitted today. I’m OOS and applying to the combined DO/PhD program (1300+ research hours), but also okay with just DO if combined doesn’t work out. Received MCAT scores today: 497 (123, 127, 122, 125), which is definitely lower than expected. Retaking MCAT 9/6 date.
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Your GPA is really good, but 497 is definitely going to be hard to work with as I believe the average MCAT for OUHCOM is 503. If you have great experiences and letters shoot your shot. If you feel another year to study for the MCAT would benefit you, do that. Don't rush your MCAT in Septemeber, be sure your score will improve!
 
I would also like some insight on whether or not an II is feasible because this is one of my top choices! I am OOS with a cGPA of 3.65 and a sGPA of 3.66. My MCAT is a 501 (124, 124, 127, 126). I have strong EC's including a varsity sport, leadership experiences, service, and research with a publication on the way. I go to undergrad in Cleveland so this is like my second home.
 
Did anyone else run into problems with the LOR requirement? I have a natural science professor who gave me a grade per my institutional transcript, but it is classified on my portal as "additional letter". I tried calling admissions, but the administrate assistant tried to answer my question which was actually just her arguing with me even though she is not the one making these decisions. My problem is that the website only says two natural science faculty--this does not indicate that it must be in one of the pre-req courses listed, but that is what she was telling me over the phone.
 
Any OOS applicants with no regional ties (i.e. not a bordering state) have interviews?
 
rmalxmstela said:
Do bordering states get a preference?
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I haven’t done a whole lot of research on the topic, but I think it’s reasonable to think so given that someone whose hometown is just a few hours drive away would be more likely to be comfortable settling in the area and also have a support system nearby during school. I know for certain that many public MD schools tend to give more preference amongst OOS applicants to those living in a bordering state, and I wouldn’t be surprised if OUHCOM is similar.
 
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Lula4eva said:
Did anyone else run into problems with the LOR requirement? I have a natural science professor who gave me a grade per my institutional transcript, but it is classified on my portal as "additional letter". I tried calling admissions, but the administrate assistant tried to answer my question which was actually just her arguing with me even though she is not the one making these decisions. My problem is that the website only says two natural science faculty--this does not indicate that it must be in one of the pre-req courses listed, but that is what she was telling me over the phone.
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Do you mind me asking what class it was in? It does not have to be one of the pre-reqs. There are a lot of other courses that would classify under natural science :)
 
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